[V8] Has this ever happened to you? Road Debris

[Jeremy Ward]

So I was driving to work this week, and there was a mini-manhole cover
sitting up in the road.  (You know, the small 6" ones that cover your
water shut-off valve for your house out in the middle of the street.) 
It was sitting vertically in its flange instead of flush,
horizontally.

One road that I take to work is under construction and they have big
orange barrels and cones setup to tell you where to drive on the fresh
asphalt.  I see this round metal plate (like a giant-sized ashtray)
sticking up out of the road vertically; it must have been 3" or 4"
high.  Couldn't really swerve around it, so I decided to straddle it. 
Now if you will remember my car has H&R sport springs and sits a
little low...  BANG!  Holly crap!  No idiot lights came on, oil
pressure was fine, the only thing I noticed was a stain in my seat.

Got to work and there is hole in the exhaust X and the pan for the
transmission fluid is majorly dented and scratched (fortunately no
holes in that one!)

Soooooo, anyone have advice on the following:
1) dealing with the county to get them to pay for my repair bills
2) price of a good used exhaust X
3) price of a good used steel pan for the transmission
4) advice on how to replace items 2 and 3

Thanks in advance,

- Jeremy